Welcome to one of the driest summers in more than 30 years in South Florida.
The rains of rainy season just have not shown up.
Most of South Florida is still experiencing “severe” drought conditions, even in summer, and coastal Broward County and the Everglades section of Miami-Dade County are in extreme drought conditions.
In fact, the driest areas of South Florida are going through the most extreme drought of any area in the U.S. east of the Mississippi River.
2025 has been the fourth-driest year in Palm Beach County in the past 131 years, according to Drought.gov. Broward County has seen its 10th driest year in Broward in the past 131 years.
According to the South Florida Water Management District, Palm Beach County has had 65% of normal rainfall for the year thus far — more than 12 inches below normal.
Broward County has had 68% of normal rainfall for the year thus far — more than 11 inches below normal levels. Miami-Dade is at 77%, about 8 inches below normal.
And June, July and August, normally sopping wet with daily afternoon thundershowers, have done little to alleviate the drought.
Palm Beach County received about half its normal June amount of rainfall, and Broward only 42%. Miami-Dade County, just over 60%, according to the South Florida Water Management District.
July was nearly average for Palm Beach County, and Broward and Miami-Dade were dry at 80%.
Lake Okeechobee is at 12.2 feet. A level of 12 feet at this time of year triggers water shortage management.
How does this year compare to others?
— 2000 was a drought year for South Florida, with only 74% of normal rain for the year. But summer was just about normal.
— 2004 saw Broward and Palm Beach counties getting about 75-80% of normal rainfall, but again, the wet season was not terribly dry.
— 2006 was similar story.
As for wet season droughts in Broward and Palm Beach counties, 2025 is the third-driest wet season since the SFWMD records began in 1993. Only 2015 and 2018 were drier.
So why is this happening?
National Weather Service meteorologist George Rizzuto said that the main culprit is a stronger-than-normal subtropical high, aka the Bermuda High, sitting over the Atlantic.
The Bermuda High is permanent, but oscillates east and west at different times. Its strength near Florida this year has caused strong and consistent east and southeast winds. “When we have that onshore flow across the east coast, that pushes the bulk of the thunderstorms for the day across to Southwest Florida, into Collier, Hendry and Glades Counties,” said Rizzuto.
Rizzuto said both the east and west coast produced sea breezes pushing inland. They collide over the Everglades in the afternoon, causing thunderheads to rise. Those storms then get pushed one way or another.
He said last year, the Bermuda High was weaker, which prompted southwest winds that pushed afternoon thunderstorms to the east coast.
Wildfire risk is not particularly high right now, but Rizzuto said that if rain doesn’t pick up, there could be trouble during the dry season, which runs November through May.
There’s no telling if the Bermuda High will back off as the season continues, but it is supposed to weaken a bit in the coming days.
That’s good news as far as hurricanes are concerned. Forecasts for the approaching tropical storm Erin suggest that as the Bermuda High weakens, the storm will be able to cut north, around it, and away from Florida. Erin is projected to become a major Category 3 hurricane by Sunday, when its path would take it north of Puerto Rico. It’s too soon to say how close the hurricane will come to the Caribbean or east coast of the U.S.
